Gaping Dragon
The is an optional boss in Dark Souls. __TOC__ Location The Gaping Dragon is found in a large, open chamber in the Depths, near the gate to Blighttown. Description The Gaping Dragon has developed an additional pair of legs to suistain his large stomach and, even if it cannot fly, its four mangled wings are used to perform high jumps. Its own ravenous gluttony also transformed its ribcage into a gigantic vertical maw that can inflict crushing bites and oozes acid, while its head regressed to a stubby proboscis to detect potential prey. Lore The Gaping Dragon is a distant descendant of the Everlasting Dragons, but its blind hunger somehow turned it into an abomination.Dragon King Greataxe Description.Dark Souls Design Works Artbook. Summoning It is possible to summon Solaire of Astora and Knight Lautrec of Carim, if the player had previously freed him. Solaire's summon sign can be found next to the stairs leading to the Fog Door, while Lautrec's can be found just behind the pillar, opposite to Solaire's. Strategies *Hitting its head deals extra damage. *As a Dragon, it is very susceptible to Lightning. *Ranged attacks can prove useful. *The Gaping Dragon will become momentarily still after its charge attack, this time can be used to attack it. *The Gaping Dragon's tail can be cut off. The Dragon King Greataxe is the reward for doing this and the tail swipe's range becomes extremely short. *A player phantom can offer ranged support and distract the Gaping Dragon if they don't enter the fog gate. *Locking on can make evading the Gaping Dragon's attacks harder, as it keeps the player closer to the boss. Staying back and waiting for it to smash into the ground, then dashing in to attack can make the battle easier. *Alternatively staying at The Gaping Dragon's side and attacking his legs can result in a quick and easy victory, only moving when the dragons begins to walk or fly around as those are the only attacks that can hit you if you stay at his side. A sufficiently powerful character can end the fight in under one minute using this strategy. The player will also have to be wary of the Dragon's swinging tail, as the Gaping Dragon can swing its tail and do massive damage. Notes *Although the tail is not connected to the body, once severed the "stub" of the tail can still inflict the same amount of damage. The attack box of its swings extends a few meters beyond the end of the tail itself. *The Dragon can hurt players for minor damage just by stepping on, or near them while moving about. *Killing the Channeler above the arena of the Gaping Dragon will prevent the Gaping Dragon from getting a damage buff. The Channeler may also fire sorceries at the player and any phantom summons they might have. Boss Information Attacks 'Right Punch' The Gaping Dragon performs a punch with its right arm. The attack has a short range and can be dodged by running to the left side of it. 'Triple Stomp' The Gaping Dragon brings its leg up and quickly stomps three times in succession. The Gaping Dragon focuses this attack on the area in front of it. 'Left Leg Swipe' The Gaping Dragon slowly brings its left leg up and then swing across its front. This attack covers a great range so it's best to run away or stick close the Dragon's right hand side. 'Stomach Slam' The Gaping Dragon points its stomach in the air and then slams it into the ground with great force. The best option to avoid this attack is running directly away. The Gaping Dragon's teeth get stuck in the ground briefly after this attack, making it vulnerable to counter-attack. 'Charge' The Gaping Dragon begins to charge in a straight line. Running to the side is the best way to avoid this attack. This attack is normally executed after a Stomach Slam. 'Tail Whip' The Gaping Dragon swings its tail to one side of its body. This attack can be difficult to avoid but is best evaded by running to the enemy's front. Cutting off the tail will cause the reach of the attack to lower significantly, but it can still hit. 'Corroding Ooze' The Gaping Dragon points its stomach to the ground and after a brief delay, expels a liquid that covers a big portion of the area. This liquid will degrade equipment. Staying in it too long may cause all of the player's equipment to break. 'Jump' The Gaping Dragon will fly upwards for a brief moment and attempt to land on the player. When it is stuck or is being flanked it will trigger this move, which will result in the dragon turning itself around. Another form of this attack triggers when the player attacks from afar, after which the monster will try to land onto the player in a single bound. Both can be avoided by running away, however, the latter requires the player to focus more on timing. Defenses Drops Relevant Videos Gallery gaping_dragon.jpg|Emerging Gaping_dragon02.jpg|Roaring gaping dragon close up.jpg|A close up of the Dragon Gaping_dragon_art.jpg|Concept Art Gaping Dragon Concept Art.jpg|Concept Art fighting the dragon.jpg|Chosen undead fighting the Dragon References